Vance named Tree City U.S.A. during ceremony April 11 Published April 13, 2011 By 2nd Lt. Kiersten Thompson 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Vance was presented with its 18th consecutive Tree City U.S.A. honors during a ceremony at the Base Auditorium, April 11. Col. Roger J. Witek, 71st Flying Training Wing vice commander, was presented the Tree City U.S.A. flag by Dan Stidham, an Oklahoma State Forester. Colonel Witek accepted the award on behalf of the base and proclaimed April 11 Arbor Day for the base. During the ceremony, the Vance Silver Talon Honor Guard presented the colors while preschoolers from the base's Child Development Center, and kindergarteners and first graders from Eisenhower Elementary, sang the national anthem. Eisenhower Elementary students also preformed two songs and one poem from their spring performance, "Bugz." The preschoolers performed two songs about the importance of trees and plants to the environment. Colonel Witek thanked the children for their performances. The Tree City U.S.A. program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation. There are 3,400 communities nation-wide that are currently Tree Cities. Over 125 million people live in a Tree City, USA. There are four criteria to qualify for Tree City U.S.A. First, a community must have a tree board or department. Then it must have a tree-care ordinance and a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita. Lastly, it must have an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. Vance's tree board is part of the Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health Committee.